Happy 43rd birthday Benedict Cumberbatch! Well, he once stated to Washington Post that he thinks his name sounds like a "fart in a bath". However, we beg to differ! With way too much humour centring around his name, the actor certainly has come a long way. Apparently, the Sherlock Holmes actor assumed that his name might cause concerns in his career and hence he began his career as Benedict Carlton (his middle name). But turns out his agent convinced him that Cumberbatch is ideal. Wimbledon 2019: When Loki Meets Doctor Strange! Tom Hiddleston and Benedict Cumberbatch Arrive to Cheer for Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic

Didn't that work out fine for the actor who was once identified as “Bandersnatch Cummerbund”, which was later passed on to be a joke? Well, from that and Benedict Cumberpatch, even Benedryl Cucumberbatch, the actor has come a long way. If you weren't aware of this fact about his life, we bet that there are a lot of things that you're not well-versed with! Hence, we thought perhaps we could give you a heads up about what kind of a life Cumberbatch has led while making such an illustrative career. Benedict Cumberbatch’s the Power of the Dog Acquired by Netflix

Check out some of the facts about the actor below.

# He planned on becoming a lawyer once

In his interview with The Mirror back in 2015, the actor expressed how he toyed with the idea of becoming a barrister as the money would be very constant, unlike acting. He said, “[Acting is] a very odd, peripatetic, crazed, out of your control work and social schedule. It's very hard to plan a family life, let alone know where the next paycheck is coming from so they worked very, very hard as my parents, and actors, to afford me an education whereby I had the opportunity and the privilege to try and channel myself towards other goals."

He further added, “For a while, I wanted to be a barrister because there's definitely a crossover with criminal law—with trying to persuade an audience and a jury and a judge of the case and your client's story so I did go down that route for a little bit. I think they would have been very happy if I ended up there."

# He spent a year in Darjeeling, India, to teach English

Perhaps you are away of this fact as it did surface during the promotions of Marvel's Doctor Strange. Speaking to the Lion's Roar, the actor said, “I’d always been fascinated by the idea of meditation and what it meant. n India, I went on a retreat with a lama—several days of incantation to clear and purify the mind—along with a dozen other people. It was incredible, and I kind of floated out of there after two weeks." He used all his learnings in the Tibetan monastery in his acting practices, which helped a great deal.

# He was kidnapped in South Africa during a shoot

As the actor was filming To the End of the Earth in 2005, near Mozambique, the actor revealed how he almost lost his life. “The three of us were trying to change the tire. These six men appeared suddenly from the eucalyptus. They said: 'Put your hands on your head, don't look at us,' and were frisking us for drugs, money, weapons. Then they bundled us into the car. They dragged me up and put me in the boot of the car.”

Cumberbatch added, “I said: ‘If you leave me in here, it’s not the lack of air, it’s the small space. There’s a problem with my heart and my brain.’ “I just tried to explain to them: ‘I will die, possibly have a fit, and it will be a problem for you. I will be a dead Englishman in your car. Not good.’ “They shut the boot and had an argument, and then pulled me out. So I kind of thank God I had the presence of mind to give them the idea that it would be better to keep me alive. And the other two hadn’t been harmed.”

# BBC wasn't sure about Cumberbatch as Sherlock

With the fanbase that Benedict Cumberbatch has cultivated thanks to his portrayal of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, it is difficult to believe that the studio BBC didn't find the actor sexy enough to pull off the character. Sherlock's co-creator Steven Moffat stated, “They said of casting David Tennant as Casanova, ‘Damn, you should have cast someone sexier.’”

# Cumberbatch has a rare genetic mutation

Benedict Cumberbatch has a rare genetic mutation that makes his eyes seem to change colour on a regular basis! He was born with both central heterochromia and sectoral heterochromia, two rare but harmless mutations that affect the hue of his eyes. Speaking about whether it affects his roles, the actor said, “I guess as an actor your eyes are vital in conveying any internal thought process or feeling, and for that, I have my mum to thank.”

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 19, 2019 10:25 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).